Stock Market & Financial Investment News

U.S. appeals court upholds dismissal of Porsche short squeeze suit, Reuters saysPorsche (POAHY) has convinced a U.S. federal appeals court to uphold the dismissal of a lawsuit that alleged the luxury car manufacturer of fraudulently controlling the market in Volkswagen (VLKAY) shares after they quietly amassed a large position in Volkswagen and created a "massive short squeeze" in October 2008, Reuters reported. The U.S. appeals court said Porsche could not be held responsible under U.S. securities fraud laws because the alleged wrongful conduct, which was brought on by more than 30 hedge funds who held short positions in shares of Volkswagen at the time, took place outside of the U.S., Reuters added. Reference Link

Marchionne says he has ideal merger partner in mind, Reuters reports Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) is exploring various options for M&A activity, said the company's CEO,Sergio Marchionne , according to Reuters. Marchionne added that he had an ideal partner in mind, and would not disclose its identity, but said that it is not Volkswagen (VLKAY), the news service reported. Reference Link

Car sales rose in Europe last month, NY Times saysEuropean car sales increased 6.7% in January, versus the same period a year earlier, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association indicates, according to The New York Times. January was the 17th straight month that European car sales have increased, but they remain well below the levels they reached before the financial crisis, the newspaper stated. Publicly traded companies in the space include Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Fiat S.p.A. (FIATY), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY). Reference Link